Source: Charlotte Hornets to add Jeremy Lin as Kemba Walker’s backup-New...

Source: Charlotte Hornets to add Jeremy Lin as Kemba Walker’s backup

Free-agent point guard Jeremy Lin has agreed to terms with the Charlotte Hornets, an NBA source confirmed Wednesday evening.

Signing
Lin would address two priorities for the Hornets: Improving their
outside shooting and adding depth at the point guard position. General
manager Rich Cho had said repeatedly that adding a third point guard was
high on the team’s offseason to-do list.

Essentially Lin will
replace Mo Williams on the roster and be a veteran behind starter Kemba
Walker with 3-point range and pick-and-roll acumen. Brian Roberts likely
would be the third point guard.

Lin has played five NBA seasons
for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Los
Angeles Lakers. Over that span he has averaged 11.8 points and 4.8
assists and shot 34.9 percent from 3-point range.

Lin became a
sensation during his “Linsanity” days playing for the Knicks, but since
then he ended up a backup for the Rockets and mostly for the Lakers. He
is very good at what he does best – pick-and-roll offense and long-range
shooting – but his defense is shaky.

Lin’s contract terms were
not immediately available. But based on his coming to terms with the
Hornets before the NBA’s moratorium on contract-signings ended Thursday,
it’s a fair assumption he got the full mid-level exception: A contract
with a starting salary of about $5.5 million next season.

That’s
the most the Hornets could pay any free agent, since they start the
NBA’s new fiscal year above the salary cap, which is about $70 million
for 2015-16.

The Hornets had limited options going into free
agency, particularly after making pre-draft trades to acquire Nicolas
Batum from Portland and Jeremy Lamb from Oklahoma City. Those deals
added more than $5 million to the Hornets’ player payroll.


Initially
the Hornets explored signing shooting guard Marco Belinelli, who came
to terms with the Sacramento Kings, but Lin was high on the team’s wish
list.

Signing Lin will bring the Hornets’ guaranteed contracts to
12 with an NBA-maximum roster of 15. That could still leave room to
sign undrafted rookie Aaron Harrison, who has drawn praise from team
officials during summer league in Orlando, Fla.

Lin adds to a
Hornets trend this offseason of accepting defensive limitations to find
more scoring options. The Hornets traded for Spencer Hawes and drafted
Frank Kaminsky in recent weeks. Neither is considered a particularly
strong defender. Meanwhile the Hornets chose not to make a qualifying
offer to center Bismack Biyombo, a strong rim protector but a very
limited scorer.